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Blunt traumatic pericardial rupture
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, UK.
Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine
|March 1, 1995
Abstract:
A 28-year-old man presented with left chest, head and limb injuries following a road traffic accident (RTA). Increasing haemodynamic instability necessitated an emergency left thoracotomy at which a complete rupture of the pericardium and herniation of the heart was found. After repair, the patient made an uneventful post-operative recovery. The aetiology, investigation and management of this rare injury is discussed.